How Does Catastrophic Injury Different From Other Personal Injuries?

When a person is injured in a catastrophic event like a car accident, it is different than falling off a ladder or bumping one’s knee.

Catastrophic injuries are worse than other injuries in that they cause severe, long-term damage to a person’s life and may make it impossible for the injured party to return to work. These severe injuries completely change the injured person’s life, leaving them to seek assistance from the system. If these injuries are caused by a person or company’s negligence, that party should provide compensation to the person who was injured.

What is Classified as a Catastrophic Injury?

When Does a person need a catastrophic injury lawyer? When a person is badly injured due to another person or company’s negligence and the at-fault parties are not willing to accept responsibility, it is time to hire a good law firm with experience in catastrophic injury cases. Legally, a catastrophic injury is one that makes it so a person cannot go back to work, requires serious medical treatment, and may have permanent consequences such as disfigurement, a shorter lifespan, or a permanent disability. The person may require numerous surgeries, extensive therapy, or long-term medication. The injured person may suffer a severe decline in their quality of life.

After a severe injury, it is a good idea to seek legal advice as soon as possible. Cases that involve catastrophic injuries might involve:

• Medical malpractice
• Birth injuries
• Car accidents
• Truck accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Boating accidents
• Workplace accidents
• Military accidents
• Defective product injuries
• Toxic exposures
• Acts of violence
• Unsafe premises liability accidents
• Slip and or fall accidents
• Sports or recreational activities accidents

Injuries suffered from the above circumstances might include many types of severe injuries with long-lasting effects. Some of these injuries might include:

• The amputation of a limb or dismemberment
• Brain trauma or injury with long-lasting limitations or neurological injuries
• Spinal injury with quadriplegia or paralysis
• Severe burns
• Several bone fractures
• Internal organs suffering damage
• Damage to eyes or ears resulting in blindness or hearing loss
• Disfigurement and permanent scarring
• Circulation or respiration organ damage and problems

These serious injuries will require long-term treatment and care no matter who is to blame. But, there are ongoing costs for care, surgeries, medications, physical therapy, medical costs, counseling, and lost wages and benefits that must be covered. A lawyer will be helpful in determining who is at fault for the injury and who is liable for the injury. The legal professional is well equipped to interview the victim and witnesses to determine what happened and who is at fault. 

Getting Help

Then, the law firm will assist the accident victim in getting the financial help they need for their treatment and living expenses. Also, legal advice is needed to determine if there is a viable case. Then, it needs to be determined who is the responsible party if there was a negligent act or circumstances. Liable parties can include employers, drivers, a business, a product manufacturer, an educational organization, doctors or hospitals, or transportation companies. Each injury case is unique and will have different liable entities that need to be identified by the law firm.

No matter who has financial responsibility for the victim’s injury and care, it is not always easy to get adequate compensation. A lawyer can navigate the complicated compensation possibilities from the injured party’s health insurance, work insurance, government injury funds, and liability awards. It is important to call a lawyer soon after the injury occurs so they can begin the process of filing a catastrophic injury claim. There are statutes of limitations that may apply to these injury claims, so contact an attorney for advice now.